"Food for me was a connecting link to my grandmother, to my childhood, to my past. And what I found out is that for everybody, food is a connector to their roots, to their past in different ways. It gives you security; it gives you a profile of who you are, where you come from." - Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

2. Mix vada nu loat along with salt, jaggery, tamarind and ground masala paste. Add water gingerly to make a thick paste.

3. Apply the paste on the back of the taro leaves. Make sure that the biggest leaf is used at the bottom. Keep making a pile of 6 - 8 leaves.

4. Roll from the sides to make a roll. Use kitchen thread if needed.

5. Steam in a steamer or pressure cooker. Let it cool down completely. Cut into circles.

6. Heat oil in a small saucepan.

7. Add all the ingredients for tempering. Stir fry till onion and garlic are golden brown.

8. Pour over the paatra pieces. Alternately, you can also add paatra pieces to the saucepan after onion & garlic are golden brown.

Note -

1. I used home grown taro leaves which were much smaller and hence I had to use 24 of them. If you get bigger leaves, you may need to use less of them.

2. Do not forget to all tamarind to this recipe. Some souring agent is necessary when dealing with taro leaves else it may scratch the throat.
3. Besan /chickpea flour can be substituted if you do not have vada nu loat. But vada nu loat adds a different flavor.